PLANNING BOARD
Walpole, NH 03608
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Presiding: Jeff Miller, Ch. Members Present: Bob Miller, V-Ch., Ben Daviss, Dave DeCoste, HenryFletcher, Peter Kenney, Sheldon Sawyer, Sel.; Alternates: Steve Dalessio, Donn Lounsbury,
Recording: Regina Borden, Sec.
These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the June 8, 2010 meeting for errors, corrections and omissions. There were 8 people in the audience.
Meeting Opened: Mr. J. Miller called the meeting to order at 7:04 PM.
Roll Call – all members were present; no alternates were designated.
Approval of Minutes of April 13, 2010 Regular Meeting and April 27, 2010 Workshop Meeting:
Minutes – April 13, 2010: Mr. R. Miller moved to approve the Minutes of the regular meeting of April 13, 2010, as printed. Seconded by Mr. DeCoste. Vote called, all were in favor, motion carried.
Minutes – April 27, 2010: Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the Minutes of the Workshop Meeting of April 27, 2010, as printed. Seconded by Mr. DeCoste. Mr. Dalessio noted a correction under the Land Use Section as follows: change “Public Hearing during the May meeting” to “Public Hearing during the June meeting”. Vote called, all were in favor, motion and correction carried.
Review Applications Submitted:
Mr. J. Miller opened the Public Hearing at 7:08 PM.
Hutton Company, Inc./Estate of Pearl J. Keefe: Site Plan Review; Two Lot Minor Subdivision; Special Exception Recommendation: Mr. J. Miller advised that this Public Hearing was continued from the April 13, 2010, meeting. A concern was the driveway cut off Route 12 but the State has approved the cut as appropriate however the other lot would only have one. Gretchen Young, PE from Appledore Engineering, Inc. confirmed that they coordinated this with the State. There are no changes other than the fact that they are proposing a smaller sign and to move it a little further toward the front. They will go to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) for that permit. They did get approval from the ZBA for the Conditional Use.
Two Lot Minor Subdivision:
Mr. R. Miller moved to approve this application for the Hutton Company, Inc./Estate of Pearl J. Keefe for the Two Lot Minor Subdivision. Seconded by Mr. Fletcher. Vote called, all were in favor, motion carried.
Site Plan Review:
Mr. J. Miller mentioned that the Selectboard has passed an Ordinance that anything built north of the Walgreens Store needs to be hooked up to Town sewer and water. That will be an issue when they apply for the Building Permit. Mr. Sawyer said the Selectboard has the option to regulate this or not.
Mr. Fletcher moved to approve this application for the Hutton Company, Inc./Estate of Pearl J. Keefe for the Site Plan Review. Seconded by Mr. R. Miller. Vote called, all were in favor, motion carried.
Special Exception:
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Mrs. Mansouri confirmed that the ZBA approved the applicant using a portion of the back lot of this parcel for the Family Dollar Store as it is in the Rural Agriculture Zone but it was subject to the approval of the Planning Board for a Special Exception.
Mr. Daviss moved to approve this application for the Hutton Company, Inc./Estate of Pearl J. Keefe for the Special Exception. Seconded by Mr. R. Miller. Vote called, all were in favor, motion carried.
Mr. J. Miller closed this Public Hearing at 7:22 PM.
New Business / Application Submissions:
Jack Franks and/or Avanrv Development – 3 Lot Subdivision: Mr. Joe DiBernardo, from DiBernardo Associates, LLC , and Attorney Robert Kasper were representing Mr. Jack Franks who is submitting an application for a 3 Lot Subdivision off Route 12. There are 11+ acres. It meets all the regulations for frontage, lot size and set-backs. 504 Main Street (Fred Dill) owns the lot at the present time. It is located in the Commercial Zoning District. This lot goes all the way back to the Upper Walpole Road. Mr. J. Miller requested that a letter signed by Fred Dill as the owner of 504 Main Street be submitted prior to the next meeting for the record. Mr. J. DiBernardo displayed a proposed plan of the subdivision.
Mr. H. Fletcher moved to hold a Public Hearing on this application for 504 Main Street / Jack Franks and/or Avanrv Development in June. Seconded by Mr. R. Miller. Vote called, all were in favor, motion carried.
Brickstone Land Use Consultants, LLC – Tractor Supply – Site Plan Review / Minor Revisions: Mr. David Bergeron from Brickstone Land Use Consultants, LLC had submitted a set of revised plans for the proposed Tractor Supply on Route 12. Some of the changes were requested by Tractor Supply and some by Mark Houghton of the Walpole Water / Sewer Departments. The changes are:
1. They relocated the water and sewer lines slightly on site. The sewer line was moved out of the common access easement and onto the Tractor Supply lot as requested by Mr. M. Houghton.
2. The point where the water line crosses Route 12 was moved approximately 50 feet to the north to line up with the entrance road and additional stubs were added to the line to service the remaining lot as requested by Mr. M. Houghton.
3. The pervious concrete located in front of the entrance to the building was relocated to the north side of the site. The amount of pervious concrete remains the same but Tractor wanted it away from the front entrance of the building.
4. The transformer behind the store was moved to the south side at the request of Tractor.
5. They changed the lighting in the outdoor fenced area to bring the levels up slightly as requested by Tractor. The light levels at the property line are still zero and will not affect abutting properties
Mr. Sawyer asked if Tractor Supply owns the property yet. Mr. Bergeron responded “yes” he believes the sale was closed today but if not it will be tomorrow.
Mr. H. Fletcher moved to approve the Minor Revisions to the Site Plan for Tractor Supply as outlined above. Seconded by Mr. R. Miller. Vote called, all were in favor, motion carried.
Hubbard Homestead, LLC: Mr. Red Smith advised that the ZBA went through what was required for a Special Exception to have a three family dwelling on North Main Street. The owner would like to convert an existing garage into a one-bedroom apartment; the footprint will remain the same. Mr. J. Miller noted that Mr. Smith will need to submit an application for a Site Plan Review. This property is in
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the Residential B District. In March when Mr. and Mrs. Laware made a preliminary presentation of this project Mr. Bill Tyson raised a concern that because they will be adding more vehicles he asked for a buffer to keep the lights away from his house. Mr. Smith said he would talk to Mr. Tyson.
Mr. D. DeCoste moved to hold a Public Hearing on this application during the June meeting. Seconded by Mr. H. Fletcher. Vote called, all were in favor, motion carried.
Planning Discussion:
Master Plan Update – Land Use Final Draft: Mr. B. Daviss advised that Lisa Murphy from the Southwestern Regional Planning Commission did not have a final draft finalized yet. Mr. Daviss had sent out the Goals and Objectives for the existing Master Plan because if they are going to approve a new version of the Master Plan they also will need to review these. Mr. J. Miller recommended that they get everything together so they have one clean document.
Condominium Development: Mr. J. Miller reported that Mr. Sawyer had contacted Attorney Jeremy Hockensmith regarding the legality of potential condominium development. Ccondominiums are not mentioned in the Walpole Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Regulations, and/or Site Plan Regulations; the Selectboard and Planning Board have taken the position over the years that condominium development is prohibited. Basically Attorney Hockensmith feels that the Town cannot prohibit condominiums. The Town will likely encounter two types of condominium proposals: 1) new development; and 2) conversion of existing structures. Mr. J. Miller noted that it does not address density. Mr. Dalessio feels they need to address workforce housing. Mr. Fletcher stated that a lot of people that left Town wished there were condos here. Copies of the letter will be made for the Board members to review.
Wording for Development Design Criteria: Mr. Daviss proposed the following draft for Wording for Development Design Criteria:
“At the formal site plan review, the applicant proposing a building that will house retail stores shall present full details of the building’s external appearance, including, but not limited to, complete details of siding materials and colors and signage, and detailed drawings of all exterior walls. Before approving the site plan, a majority of the members of the Planning Board shall agree that the building’s external appearance reflects the rural New England character of Walpole or presents an appearance that that is otherwise compatible with the character of the town. Within the context of this regulation, the Planning Board shall not impose extreme or unusual conditions on a project. These requirements also apply to any building erected to house industrial businesses if said building is granted a special exception to be located outside of a commercial zone.” Mr. J. Miller likes the way the Town of Peterborough uses a combination of guidelines, character and pictures on their website as it gives a developer a frame of mind about what the Town is looking for. Mr. Sawyer feels that innovation means everybody can do something different. Mr. J. Miller suggested that the Planning Board work on any changes to be worked on during the Workshop Meeting and then to schedule a Public Hearing in July.
NH Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) Conference: Mr. Daviss and Mr. Dalessio attended the OEP Conference last Saturday. Since January 1st the workforce housing is in force. This Board should be prepared to review the regulations regarding affordable housing. Language in the ordinances that can be interpreted as restricting affordable housing needs to be reviewed. If a developer cannot build a house for people within an affordable price under the Town Zoning regulations, they have the opportunity to take the Town to court to challenge the zoning regulations. Large lot requirements and
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large frontage requirements need to be considered. Mr. Sawyer advised that there are smaller lots in some areas of Town and mobile homes/trailers are allowed in the Rural Agricultural areas subject to the regulations. Mr. Daviss urged members to be aware of these issues. Mr. Dalessio noted that the Town has to allow for reasonable accommodations; it is a calculation based on the HUD requirements.
Other Business:
New Alternate Member: Mr. Sawyer advised that Mr. Ed Potter expressed an interest in being appointed as an Alternate member of the Planning Board. He was on the Selectboard for several terms and is a long-time resident.
Mr. Sawyer moved that the Planning Board accept Mr. Ed Potter as an Alternate member for a three year term. Seconded by Mr. R. Miller. Vote called, all were in favor, motion carried.
Workshop Meeting: There will be a Workshop Meeting on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010, at 7:00 PM in the downstairs meeting room. They will work on the draft of the Land Use Section and guidelines for the Development Design Criteria.
Next Regular PB Meeting: The next regular PB meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 8th, 2010, at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall meeting room.
Adjournment: Mr. Sawyer moved to adjourn this meeting. Seconded by Mr. J. Miller. Vote called, all in favor, motion carried. The time was 8:16 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary